Cleats in Clay Read online

  “Where? Wha’d ya get?”

  “You’ll just hafta look for it someday,” Tuck said with a teasing glint in his eye.

  “Bonehead.” Odis chuckled as he saw Bobby stirring again on the bed.

  Bobby sat up and blinked blearily at the guys in the dining room. “Shit, I’m sorry.” He untangled himself from the afghan and stood up. “Didn’t mean to pass out on you guys.”

  Tuck smiled at him. “It’s understandable. You had a long day, hangin’ out in airports and all.”

  “Still, I hate bein’ rude,” Bobby said as he went into the bathroom and closed the door.

  Odis got up and poured another mug of coffee, which he brought back to the table for Bobby.

  A few minutes after the toilet flushed, Bobby opened the bathroom door and then dug around in the garment bag hanging on the outside hook. He removed a bathrobe and slipped it on before joining the guys at the dining table. “What time is it? Did I sleep all night?”

  Odis chuckled as he glanced over at the microwave. “Just after midnight. You only slept a few minutes.” He waited until Bobby sat down and had some coffee. “When ya get waked up, I’ll need ya to help me with somethin’.”

  “As long as it’s not algebra or something. My mind’s not ready for that yet.”

  Tuck chuckled. “What’s wrong with your mind?”

  “All my higher functions went offline. I swear, that was the best sex I’ve ever had. Have ever dreamed of….”

  Odis nodded. “I think we all agree on that.”

  The trio quietly shared their coffee.

  Heimdalla twitched her ears. She jumped up and ran into the kitchen, then disappeared around the corner.

  Bobby followed her with his eyes, then turned to Odis. “Why’s she going into the pantry?”

  “Not a pantry,” Odis answered. “That’s the laundry room and the—on the other side is her doggy door.”

  Tuck raised an eyebrow. “You can say it, Odie. That’s where your grow room is, ain’t it.”

  Odis nodded.

  “I had that talk with Broyles a long time ago. As long as ya ain’t sellin’ or makin’ a nuisance about it, the department won’t hassle you.” Tuck scowled. “Believe me, there’s worse sharks out there in the pool.”

  Bobby looked over at Tuck. “Like what?”

  “Meth,” Tuck told him, nearly spitting out the word. “Busted three labs in the county last month, but rumor mills say there’s four more out there now.”

  Bobby frowned. “I always thought that was more of an urban problem.”

  “I wish,” Tuck lamented. “The way that shit rots the brain, they might as well just snort up Clorox. And the labs themselves, most of those fuckups couldn’t pass high school chemistry, but they’re fiddlin’ with all that volatile shit right in their kitchens. Luckily, it’s been a year since one blew up.”

  Bobby watched as Heim trotted back into the kitchen. He could swear she nodded her head, like an “all’s clear” signal, before curling down on the floor again. “I’m sorry, Tuck, I never realized you had shit like that to deal with. Always pictured you’d do things like get cows off the road or rescue lost old ladies.”

  Tuck sighed. “Yep, there’s that small-town stuff too. But it ain’t all like a TV sitcom.”

  Odis glanced over at the morose looks that fell over Tuck’s and Bobby’s faces. He looked over at Bobby. “You wanna help me now?”

  “Sure,” Bobby said, putting his mug down on the table. “What are we doing?”

  “Well,” Odis said as he glanced over at Tuck, “Tuck’s been holdin’ out on us. He’s got a tattoo somewhere.” Odis stood up and walked around the table.

  Bobby grinned. “Really, now, and you want my help to find it?” he asked as he sidled up beside Tuck.

  Tuck put his hands up defensively. “Now, boys, just take a seat.”

  Odis grabbed his arms and pulled him up out of the chair. “Just cooperate and I won’t hafta get mean,” he said, studying Tuck’s back for any marks.

  “Yeah? And what are ya gonna do?” Tuck asked as Bobby took hold of his shoulder and leaned him forward.

  “I remember where you’re ticklish,” Odis teased. “Don’t make me use it.” Odis slid down the waistband of Tuck’s sweatpants and examined his toned butt.

  “Over here,” Bobby announced, pointing to the outside of Tuck’s right flank, just below the hip.

  Odis moved around and saw the tattoo, about the size of a mason jar lid. The black outline of a sheriff’s star, the six-pointed kind with the rounded tips, had been filled in with a golden yellow but was otherwise empty. “Looks kinda plain,” he teased.

  Tuck reached down and yanked up his pants. “Well, I thought about puttin’ Vic’s name in it but changed my mind.”

  Bobby pulled down the waistband at the right side just enough to reveal the star again. “Why’d you get it there? Seems like kind of an odd place.”

  Tuck reached around, motioning like he was pulling a pistol from a holster. “It’s right under where my gun holster sits.”

  Odis laughed. “Shit, and I thought ya might be sentimental or somethin’. You’re just a cop down to the bones, ain’t ya?” he teased.

  Tuck smirked and shrugged. “Are we through lookin’ at my ass? Can I sit down again?”

  “Sure,” Bobby said as he playfully swatted Tuck’s buttcheek. “Have a seat.”

  Tuck and Odis sat back down as Bobby went into the kitchen and grabbed the coffee carafe, which he brought back to the table.

  Bobby filled up their mugs, asking, “Isn’t it a little late for coffee?”

  Odis shrugged. “Don’t matter. I’m too buzzed to think about sleepin’ right now.”

  Tuck glanced over. “You’re still high from the weed?”

  Odis shook his head. “Nah, I… I guess it’s you guys. What we did earlier, us hangin’ out now, I just feel all jazzed up.”

  Tuck nodded. “I thought it was just me feelin’ that.”

  “No,” Bobby said as he set down the carafe. “I thought it was just that nap, but I feel all strangely energized too.”

  Tuck reached out to the middle of the table. Odis and Bobby also stuck out their hands, and they all clasped together. “Three musketeers,” Tuck declared.

  Odis chuckled. “All for one and one for all,” he cheered.

  “Whatever,” Bobby said while smiling at the other two. They looked back, almost disappointed with his reply. “Jackpot,” he said, remembering Nathan’s note.

  “Jackpot,” the other two chimed boisterously in agreement.

  Chapter 15

  AFTER Tuck excused himself for the restroom, Odis looked over at Bobby. “So whatta we do now?”

  “You mean for the night, or…?”

  “Either one, I guess.” Odis looked over at the suitcase on the floor. “I know I hadn’t said it out loud, but you are welcome to stay here, or whatever.”

  “Sure I won’t be crowding you out too much? Not exactly a lot of space here,” Bobby said with a hand gesture indicating the room.

  “There is that, I guess. But we can manage. At least ’til we get some more rooms added on.”

  “Oh.” Bobby sat up. “I can help with that, with the adding-on. Had a lot of practice playing foreman with the landscaping company, and I can read my way through a blueprint. I could do the GC work—general contractor,” Bobby added when he saw the confused look on Odis’s face. “Since I’m at loose ends right now. It’ll give me something to do and save some money.”

  “Ya know, ya still haven’t told me how much the settlement was for, but I like the way yer not lettin’ it go to your head. Some people just seem to lose all control when they get a huge wad of cash.”

  Bobby dropped his gaze to the table. “I learned that lesson a long time ago. When I got my first big fat paycheck from the majors, it was gone in less than three months.”

  Odis chuckled. “No shit? What all did ya buy?”

  “Oh, that’s the funn
y part. I didn’t run out and buy boats and sports cars and shit. Might have been better off if I had. Instead, I thought I’d be smart and hire one of those financial advisors. He decided we should set up some ‘trusts’, and of course he had his fees, then the lawyers had their fees. About a third of it disappeared that way. Then he ‘donated’ a bunch to some offshore place—to offset the taxes, of course, he said. Which I’m pretty sure now was a backdoor embezzlement. Then he invested the rest into some speculative hedge fund that went belly-up.”

  Odis frowned. “That sucks. Guess there’s advantages to bein’ paranoid. I never let anybody else touch my money.”

  “Wise move,” Bobby agreed with a nod as they heard the bathroom door open.

  After stopping at the bed for his shoes, Tuck returned to the table, picking up his sweatshirt and slipping it on before leaning down against the back of the wrought iron chair. “What’s up?”

  “Oh,” Odis said. “Talkin’ about money and makin’ good choices.”

  “Can’t help with that,” Tuck said with a smirk. “Never had hardly more than two dimes to rub together at the same time.”

  Odis chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Really, Tuck, ya make it sound like yer practically homeless.”

  “Well, I know what kinda money ya make at yer shows, and I can imagine the size of the checks you baseball guys get, so I’m not even in the same league.” Tuck glanced at Bobby. “So what brought this up?”

  “Stud still won’t say how much they settled for,” Odis said.

  “Not really our business, though, is it?” Tuck told Odis with a hard look.

  “I’s just curious, but he’s bein’ so dodgy about it….”

  Tuck turned his cop gaze to Bobby. “Are ya bein’ dodgy?”

  “Fine,” Bobby said as he got up from the table and went to his duffel bag. He dug around in it and brought out a day planner notebook and returned to the table. “If ya just hafta know,” he nearly whined as he opened up the book and yanked out the check before laying it on top of the blueprints still on the table.

  “Shit,” Tuck hissed under his breath.

  “Oh my fuckin’ Gawd,” Odis declared when he saw all the zeros. “No wonder ya didn’t wanna say. Is that a gazzatrillion?”

  Bobby laughed. “I don’t think there’s such a thing as a gazzatrillion.”

  “Still,” Tuck said with a headshake, “it’s still a fuckin’ lotta money.”

  Odis glanced up at Bobby with concern. “And ya just been carryin’ that around in yer bag?”

  “It hasn’t left my side. I didn’t even stick it in the overhead. I stowed it under the plane seat, with my feet on top of it.”

  Tuck laughed. “Yeah, I’d keep my feet on top of it too. And my gun in my lap.”

  Bobby picked the check up and put it back in the notebook. “You think there’s a bank around here that can cash it?”

  As Tuck laughed, Odis smirked and said, “Ya kiddin’ me? Ya could prob’ly buy the bank in town with that kinda dough.”

  “Doubt that,” Bobby replied while shaking his head. “And what the hell would I do with a bank, anyway?”

  Odis chuckled. “You’d have a big vault to lock all that cash in.”

  Tuck just sighed and then turned to Bobby. “Ya know, I’m not any kind of financial genius or anything, but if ya wanna talk over it sometime….” His words dangled off as he suppressed a yawn. He stood up straighter and said, “I should be headin’ home, guys. Not that I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed this evenin’s… entertainment.” He flashed a huge grin to both men.

  “You have a good night’s sleep, then, Tuck,” Odis told him warmly. “And don’t let them talk ya into workin’ tomorrow. Ya really should take a day off once in a while.”

  Bobby hesitantly held out his hand. Tuck stepped closer to him and pulled him into a hug. “I hope we can do better than a handshake.”

  Rising on his toes, Bobby brought their lips together. Tuck leaned down and squeezed him tighter as they opened their mouths and shared their electric sparks. Tuck pulled away. “Damn, stud, that’s a helluva a good-night kiss.”

  Bobby squeezed him briefly, then let go. “So tonight’s officially our ménage night?”

  Odis nodded. “Yep, it’s Saturday.”

  Tuck grinned. “Two nights in a row. You want me to call later and we can meet in town or somewhere for dinner first?”

  Bobby looked over at Odis. “I thought Odie was gonna cook?” he said with a laugh.

  “Fuck you,” Odis barked before laughing himself. “I’d prob’ly kill us all. Just call later, Tuck. We’ll figure somethin’ out.” Odis stood up and walked around the table. Tuck leaned down for a hug that turned into another warm kiss.

  “Damn,” Tuck exclaimed as he adjusted the crotch of his sweatpants. “You guys quit kissin’ me like that or I’ll never make it outta here.”

  Bobby got his ball cap and cell phone off of the table. “Don’t forget your hat.”

  Tuck took his cap from Bobby and placed it on his head as he slipped the phone into his pocket. “Later, boys,” he said with a wave before he reluctantly walked out the door and up the concrete steps.

  Bobby watched his fine ass climb up the treads, then turned to Odis. “Back in a minute,” he said before he turned toward the bathroom.

  Odis put the note back into the brass box. Then he grabbed Tuck’s mug and took it, along with the box, to the kitchen counter.

  WHEN Bobby left the bathroom, he found Odis leaning over and studying the blueprints spread open on the table. Odis glanced up. “Ya really think ya can help with this? With the contractor thing?”

  Bobby walked up and studied the plans a moment. “Seems straightforward enough. I’m sure I could.”

  Odis shook his head. Then he slumped down into a chair. “Gawd, I just—are we bein’ stupid?” he asked, looking up at Bobby.

  “Stupid how?” Bobby asked as he sat in the chair next to Odis.

  “I mean,” Odis started as he leaned toward Bobby and lowered his voice. “Are we rushin’ things? After just one… and we’re gonna live together now?”

  Bobby nodded. “But this is what it was like with Nate. After Fourth of July, I just knew it was the right thing, and I didn’t think twice about it when he asked me to move in the next morning.”

  “And you feel that now? About us three?”

  “Yes.” Bobby nodded again and gazed at Odis. “And you do too, don’t you?”

  Odis nodded.

  Bobby reached out and clasped Odis’s hands. “I’d already decided to fly back Monday and pack up the house and start moving. But if you have doubts about this, maybe I should hold off.”

  Odis wobbled his head. “No. I mean, don’t hold off. I’m sure I’ll get my head wrapped around all this soon enough. It’s just me worryin’.”

  “If you’re worried, we can wait. I’m sure Tuck’ll understand if we slow down a little.”

  “No,” Odis said as he squared his shoulders. “Let’s go ahead. It’ll all sort out. I’ll try to quit worryin’.” Odis stood up and went to the bathroom.

  After watching Odis close the door, Bobby got up and started cleaning. He grabbed the empty beer bottles and took them to the trash can in the kitchen. He glanced down into the bin and saw that orange plastic again. Using the neck of one of the empty beers, Bobby nudged away some of the trash to reveal the cluster of prescription bottles near the bottom. Moving around the trash, he counted seven bottles in the mess, most of them rattling nearly half-full with pills. What the hell?

  Bobby dropped the empty beer bottles on top of the mess and went back to the table.

  Odis returned a few moments later, noticing the strange look on Bobby’s face as he sat beside him. “What is it, stud?”

  Bobby motioned toward the kitchen. “Why are all those prescriptions in the trash?”

  Odis smiled proudly. “I haven’t had a pill since the first day you came here. I decided I don’t want ’em anymore.”

  B
obby’s face tensed. “But don’t you need them? What did the doctor say?”

  “I don’t need ’em as much as I need a clear mind. Really, it’s nothin’.”

  Shaking his head, Bobby disagreed. “What were they for?”

  “Anti-inflammatories and other joint shit.”

  Bobby studied Odis with concern. “And you just went cold turkey?”

  “Wasn’t hard.”

  “But you’re supposed to taper off of stuff like that, not just quit all at once.”

  Odis nodded. “Well, I did anyway. I was tired of bein’ fucked up all the time.”

  Bobby just silently studied him with a worried gaze.

  “Ya know, people make such a big deal about how terrible weed is, but it’s never fucked me up like those pills over there did. I mean, some days I could hardly remember my own name, much less try to get any work done in the studio.” He gave Bobby a firm look. “I’m done with ’em.”

  Bobby threw up his hands. “Okay,” he relented.

  Odis smiled warmly at him. “Yer sweet, though, bein’ all concerned.”

  “I don’t think anybody’s ever called me ‘sweet’ before.”

  “Well, ya are.” A yawn snuck up on Odis. “I think I’m about ready to sleep now,” he told Bobby as he stood up.

  Bobby used the table to push himself up. “I’m starting to feel it too,” he told Odis as he walked across the room and picked his suitcase up from the floor. “Is there any place I can put this?”

  “Oh,” Odis said, moving to the nightstand. He removed a magazine and some papers and set them on the filing cabinet. “Ya can set it there.”

  As Odis crawled into bed, Bobby set the case on top of the nightstand and opened it to retrieve a pair of gray boxer-briefs. He slid into the underwear and went back to the bathroom door, slipped out of the robe, and left it behind on the hook. He crawled under the covers beside Odis.

  Odis rolled onto his side and scooted his back against Bobby, spooning into him. “I missed this,” he nearly whispered. “It’s funny, since ya were only here one night. But I missed it.”

  “This place already feels more like home than that huge house. You sure you don’t mind me moving in?”